August 24, 2026 05:41 am (IST)

Make this your homepage

Foreign

‘Reservation for poor, not caste’: Stir at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar | Dalit woman 'gangrape-murder' shocker in Karnataka: 4 arrested after body found in well | India dismisses Pakistan's 'frustration' over US envoy's J&K remark | Centre denies US visit clearance to Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, says programmes 'not appropriate' | Delhi Police register FIR in pellet gun case after Rahul Gandhi's sit-in | Rahul Gandhi stages dharna at Delhi police station over CJP protest crackdown, targets Amit Shah | CJP school tour turns chaotic in Jaipur: Cars vandalised, stones pelted as Ashutosh Ranka alleges BJP ‘goons’ attack | Vande Mataram row: Kangana Ranaut slams Sharmila Tagore, says ‘come out of Hindu-Muslim mindset’ | Jadavpur erupts again: ABVP-SFI clash, police barricades shattered as fresh tension grips area | Ex-Congress MP and 1984 anti-Sikh riots convict Sajjan Kumar dies while serving life sentence

UN Photo/Mark Garten (file)

Ban condemns attack on electoral rally in Syria

India Blooms News Service | | May 24, 2014, at 08:17 pm

New York, May 24 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday condemned a deadly mortar attack on an electoral rally in southern Syria and reiterated his call for an end to violence in the country.

In a statement from his spokesperson, Ban again stressed his opposition to the indiscriminate use of violence in the Syrian conflict.

“Indiscriminate use of any weapons by any party against civilians in contravention of obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law,” he said in the statement.

According to media reports, mortar fire has hit an election rally in support of President Bashar al-Assad, killing at least 21 people. Assad, who reportedly was not at the event, is campaigning for a third seven-year term as President.

The Syrian crisis is entering its fourth year with more than 9.3 million people affected, to UN figures.

In Friday’s statement, Ban said he “deeply regrets the inability of the international community to unite in stopping this conflict” and “in finding ways to hold accountable perpetrators of atrocities” such as Friday’s attack.

On Thursday, the Security Council failed to adopt a resolution that would have referred the situation in the war-torn nation to the International Criminal Court (ICC), due to vetoes by permanent Council members Russia and China.

The resolution, which was backed by the other 13 members of the Council, would have given the ICC the mandate to investigate horrific crimes committed during the course of the conflict in Syria, which since March 2011 has killed more than 150,000 civilians, the displaced millions and led to widespread violations of human rights.

Ban, who has been in China for a week-long official visit, stressed that the Syrian people need a clean break from the past to move towards a new Syria, “one in which their legitimate aspirations are met and all communities are protected.”

[Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. UN Photo/Mark Garten (file)]

#Ban Ki-Moon # electoral rally # Syria # Attack

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.

India
International

Related Images

German president says ‘no reason’ to align with Trump on Iran war Mar 24, 2026, at 11:22 pm

In Images: Canadian PM Carney concludes his China visit Jan 17, 2026, at 01:30 am

In images: King Charles III hosts President Trump and First Lady Melania at State Banquet in Windsor Sep 19, 2025, at 12:49 am